Shinobi/Main
"Theirs was a secret society. Even we Samurai were not sure if they even existed or if they were just a myth...until they came out of the shadow: shinobi. Their weapon, the kusarigama is like no other. It echoes through our past and proves they are indeed from our blood. Trained in secret, their presence on the battlefield is felt before they are even seen. We now know they are always close, waiting for the right moment to strike. They have now entered this war and won't leave until their job is done." Shinobi are a playable hero in For Honor. Overview The Shinobi are silent warriors who move with a dancer's grace and kill with the precision that can only come from a lifetime of disciplined training. They were told as only being a myth, but this was intended by the secret society which kept their training and existence a secret. Whiletheir brethren Aramusha are brash enforcers, the Shinobi are tasked with undercover work. Not much else is known about the Shinobi than their agility, their magic-like ninja arts and their skill that lets them dispatch enemies quickly with the kusarigama they hold in hand. Armor The shinobi takes on the image of the ninja in pop culture, clad in dark shinobi shōzoku with ropes, bombs, and a kaginawa grappling hook hanging from their belt, with a Sanjaku-tenugui covering their face. Leather armor cover parts of the body, but most determinately the arms, upper chest and shoulders. Weapon Kusarigama - The traditional Japanese weapon consists of a kama (Japanese sickle) with a chain-and-weight attached. It is brutal in close quarters but can also be thrown and retracted for medium-distance attacks. Trivia *Shinobi (忍び) literally means "patience," "endure" or "conceal", and this is the short version of Ninja (忍者) or Shinobi no Mono (忍びの者), one who waits patiently for the right opportunity to strike. *Shinobi in For Honor were inspired by their real-life and pop culture counterparts, also referred to as ninja (which is another word for Spy). **Unlike pop culture tendency to make the ninja into assassins dressed in a black shōzoku, real life ninja would usually dress themselves as ordinary people to avoid suspicion or any attire that best suited their mission. However, it is possible that the shinobi did wear shinobi shōzoku, but ones coloured to blend into the environment. ***Black clothes like those in-game would stand out, even during the night. Instead, dark blue was used at night as the colour blended in better. **Historical shinobi's primary duties were espionage, sabotage, and guerilla warfare, while occasionally carrying out assassination attempts. Pop culture, especially those of the West, may portray the ninja as combat intended, and while they did certain have martial arts training, the Shinobi would do what they can to avoid conflict. ***While ninja/shinobi are often portrayed as sworn enemies of the Samurai in pop culture due to differences in their honor codes, shinobi were often working for Daimyo lords, with many shinobi having been samurai or ronin. *The Kusarigama are weapons comprised of a sickle-like kama attached to a heavy weight via a long chain. While a variant with a second kama replacing the weight existed, it was not as popular. **While the game portrays the kama being swung, in the art of the Kusarigama (鎖鎌術; kusarigama-jutsu), it was traditionally the heavy weight that would be used to bash armored opponents from a distance. The kama would remain in the wielder's hang. ***Should the weight be grabbed or snared by the enemy, the chain would be used to ensnare the enemy so they can be killed at close range by the kama. **While the chain is often shown attached to the bottom of the kama's handle, it was often attached to the top end, near the blade, to assist it in ensnaring opponent's weapon that locked blades with the kama. **The art of the kama (鎌術; kama-jutsu) was traditionally practiced while dual-wielding a set of kama. As a result, the Shinobi may be incorporating a mix of both arts (kama-jutsu and kusarigama-jutsu). *Shinobi and Shaman are currently the only Heroes who will crouch when at a ledge, unlike other Heroes who simply lean over while standing to look. **For the Shinobi, this comes with a unique animation, where upon hopping off a ledge for a ledge kill, the Shinobi will do a flip in the air before landing on their unsuspecting opponent.1 *In contrast to popular myth, you cannot Slide Tackle off a ledge that leads to an environmental hazard. Slide Tackle follows the same rules as other charge moves such as Shugoki's Charge of the Oni or Warlord's Crashing Charge. *Super Sprint is based off the running style that ninja are commonly seen using in pop culture, with possibly the greatest influence from the Naruto run. Quotes *'Japanese': お覚悟 (Okakugo) - English: "Prepare yourself!" **Female Shinobi, Ranged Guard Break or Successful Sickle Rain *'Japanese': 覚悟 (Kakugo) - English: "Ready yourself!" ** Male Shinobi, Ranged Guard Break or Successful Sickle Rain *'Japanese': 遅い (Osoi) - English: "Too slow!" **Kick Maneuvers or Slide Tackle *'Japanese': 戻ろう (Modorou) - English: "Return." **Male Shinobu, Shiryo Avenger Execution *'Japanese': 大事ない (Daiji nai) - English: "Nothing important." **Female Shinobu, Shiryo Avenger Execution *'Japanese': 必殺 (Hissatsu) - English: "Critical hit!" or "Deadly strike!" **Deflect *'Japanese': ここまでか (Kokomadeka) - English: "It seems this is my undoing." **Death *'Japanese': 無念 (Munen) - English: "Regretful." **Death